1. Field
This relates to percussive musical instruments, in particular to mallets for use in striking such instruments.
2. Prior Art—Mallets
Prior-art mallets for playing musical instruments, such as xylophones and marimbas, generally employ a core material comprising either the shaft of the mallet itself, or a hard material, such as metal or plastic, attached to the shaft. Resilient layers that are generally elastomeric (having rubber like springiness) are then affixed around the core. An outer layer is generally formed over the resilient layer.
Prior-art mallets are sold in a variety of shapes and sizes. Because of this, many different musical effects can be produced according to the hardness of the mallet, its composition, weight, and size. Different exterior colors provide decoration and permit the user to pre-select mallets with predetermined striking capabilities. Although prior-art mallets offer a range of performance and appearance, this range is limited by the basic technologies used in their construction.
Mallets Using Layers of Various Materials—FIG. 1
One type of mallet uses a head comprised of multiple layers. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,123 (1976), Hinger teaches a mallet comprising a hard shaft with a handle end and a playing head end. A replaceable playing head is installed by sliding an aperture of the head over the shaft from the handle end to the head end. A retainer structure, formed at the head end of the shaft, prevents the playing head from either slipping back toward the hand end or flying off the shaft. The aperture of the playing head is lined with a resilient material, such as neoprene. The neoprene is wrapped with masking tape. The main body of the playing head is felt. The felt is either wrapped over the masking tape and secured either adhesively or by stitching. Alternatively, it may be integrally formed on the inner components of the head assembly and secured by a stitched cover (not shown).
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,307,647 (1981), Christian teaches a mallet comprising a shaft with a handle end and a head end, a tubular rubber shock absorber mounted at the head end, a wooden disc surrounding the shock absorber, and a rubber band secured to the outer surface of the wooden disc. The shock absorber is glued to the head end of the shaft. The rubber band is glued to the outer surface of the disc. The wooden disc and rubber band are shaped so that striking the musical instrument with the flat, outer surface of the rubber band produces a forte sound, and striking the instrument with the edge of the rubber band produces a piano sound.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,836 (1985), Lidster teaches a mallet and method for making the mallet. The mallet of FIG. 1 comprises a shaft 105 and an attached head 110 formed of rubber. Pigments of various colors are added to liquid rubber which is then hardened into layer strips. These strips are wrapped about a spheroid (not shown in this view) at the head end of the mallet. The tightness of the wrap is associated with a particular pigment color. The musician selects from a set of mallets in a range of colors in order to predictably set the timbre of the note struck by the mallet.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,929,356 (1999), Piland et al. teach a mallet with a striking head at one end of a shaft and a cushioned handle at the other end. The striking head comprises a rubber cylinder with radiused edges and an axial opening. The axial opening of the head is glued to the shaft. A layer of short flocking fibers is adhered to the surface of the head. The fibers protrude outwardly from the surface.
In U.S. Pat. No. 6,307,138 (2001), Simpson teaches a mallet comprising a shaft with first and second striking heads at opposite ends of the shaft. The first head is made of a soft material, such as felt. The second head is made of a non-fibrous material, such as a plastic. The second head is harder than the first head. In use, the player creates sounds of two different timbres depending on which end of the mallet is used.
Mallets with Wrapped Striking Ends—FIG. 2
Another type of mallet uses a striking end wrapped in yarn or a similar material. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,792 (1987) Swartzlander teaches a mallet 200 including a shaft 205 and a head portion 210 (FIG. 2). Head portion 210 includes a cylindrical core (not shown), an annular sound ridge surrounding the core (not shown), and a yarn covering encasing the core and sound ridge. Strips comprising alternate layers of tape and a sheet material such as paper are wound on the shaft to form the cylindrical core. Narrower strips of similar materials are wound on top of the core at its axial center to form the sound ridge. A first yarn layer is wound over the sound ridge. A second yarn layer is subsequently wound over the entire head, including the core, sound ridge, and first yarn layer. The yarn layers fill in the discontinuities between the sound ridge and the core to form a substantially spherical smooth surface for the mallet head.
Mallets of both of the above prior-art types are sold by Innovative Percussion, Inc., of Nashville, Tenn., USA, Pro-Mark Corporation, of Houston, Tex., USA, and Encore Mallets, of Lewisville, Tex., USA, among others. Prior-art mallets are typically between 27 and 41 cm long. The shaft and head diameters are typically 1 cm and 3.8 cm, respectively.
While all of the above prior-art mallets are useful for generating music from percussion instruments, each design suffers from one or more drawbacks. With regard to the layered types, for example, winding layers of alternate materials is labor-intensive. Gluing successive members to a shaft and to each other is time-consuming. Coloring and subsequently curing liquid rubber prior to winding on a spheroid is both time-consuming and labor-intensive.
The prior-art mallets which are wrapped also suffer from various drawbacks. For example, Swartzlander's design requires two separate, sequential yarn-wrapping steps in addition to two layering steps. The prior-art mallets available on the market today are typically wrapped with cord comprising a single strand. This strand may be of wool, wool plus a synthetic fiber, and the like. One model, the EG-1 sold by Pro-Mark, uses yarn that is alternately one color then another along its length. This provides a decorative effect.